Municipal Officials Prepare For Possibility Of Further Property Tax Cuts

On the heels of Gov. Scott Walker’s inauguration, local officials are preparing for potential cuts to property taxes.

Walker has said he’d like to cut property taxes in the next state budget.

The property tax levy makes up about 48 percent of La Crosse’s budget, and mostly funds schools and local government. La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat said the city’s already constrained with state-imposed levy limits. He said La Crosse has already begun preparing for the cuts and figuring out how to work more efficiently.

“At some point the reality is going to be, there are going to be cuts or there will have to be programs that are either reduced or eliminated — staff changes, those kinds of things — which I think everyone is very concerned about,” said Kabat.

Kabat said cuts to property taxes could have a significant impact on the overall operation of the city.